Winter in District 12
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: This is a tale that takes place during the winter between the 74th Hunger Games and the 3rd Quarter Quell, after the Victory Tour and not long after Gale's whipping. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Blizzard

**Chapter 1: The Blizzard**

The snow is starting to fall heavily outside my family's house in the Victor's Village. I tear my eyes away from the window and try not to think of the poor citizens who will not be able to guard themselves against the elements tonight. Besides, there is someone right in front of me who needs my help.

It's been a week since Gale was whipped within an inch of his life by District 12's new head Peacekeeper, Romulus Thread. If it weren't for my, Peeta and Haymitch's intervention, I don't know what would have happened. Though it was immensely satisfying to see a Capitol lackey get shown up by some Hunger Games victors his first day on the job. I clear my head as I lift a cup of water to Gale's lips. He drinks incrementally, before giving me a weak smile.

"Thanks, Catnip."

Suddenly, I hear my mother shriek:

"Prim! Get the door! This snow is coming in fast!"

I whip my head back to the window. Through its panes, I can see two men hustling up the drive towards our door - both sporting very familiar crops of blonde hair….

My little sister obeys my mother and runs to the door, throwing it open. Whistling wind and furious snow flurries practically blow Haymitch and Peeta inside. The door slams shut.

"I brought some fresh bread. Had to stuff it up my shirt to keep it hot," Peeta proclaims, as he begins to untuck said shirt from under his heavy coat, producing a fresh loaf from his family's bakery. He flashes me a smile as he strides into our kitchen and holds it out to me. "Gale can't keep going on water and Lady's cheese forever." I smile back at him and accept the food gratefully. Even Gale cracks a smirk.

"Hey, thanks, Bread Boy."

"No problem," Peeta grins genuinely. I try to hide my amazement at this exchange. Honestly, you would think two rivals for the same woman's affection would be less civil towards each other.

"It's really bad out there - blizzard, no doubt about it," I hear Haymitch tell my mother as he hangs up his coat in the foyer. "Mind if we spend dinner here till it dies down?"

"Of course, Haymitch."

"Much obliged, Mrs. Everdeen." The stench of alcohol precludes the man as he swaggers in. He gives me a smirk in greeting. "Evening, sweetheart. How's the cousin holding up?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Gale groans as he slightly raises his head from our kitchen table.

"I'll take that as 'a helluva lot better,' then."

"Hey, Haymitch! Wanna do a round of checkers?" Peeta calls from across the room.

"There's rubbing alcohol in the pantry if you need it, sir," Prim tells Haymitch sweetly.

Haymitch jerks his thumb in my sister's direction and shoots me a grin. "I like her." The rest of his phrase is clear, even if unspoken: _much more than I like you_. Peeta must be thinking the same thing, for I hear him snort. I shoot them both a scowl. They may be as good as family now, but that doesn't mean I have to like it when they both gang up on me. I focus my attention back on my hunting partner as Haymitch staggers away, slurring something about how he's going to kick Peeta's ass.

* * *

Dinner is a very quiet affair. We awkwardly sit around the table with Gale still on it, our bowls in our laps. Occasionally, someone will lift Gale's spoon to feed him. Not once does he complain. He's handling it better than I am, as I feel the urge to yell at everyone that he is not a dog. My mother enters with more soup and offers some to Haymitch.

"Oh, no thank you, Heather. That was delicious." He rises. "Well, boy, ready to head home?"

"You're the boss, mentor," Peeta grins and makes to follow.

"You aren't seriously thinking of braving this, are you?" my mother cries. I glance outside. It still looks pretty bad.

"It's calmed down a bit," Haymitch reassures. I can't tell if he's joking or serious.

My mother folds her arms determinedly.

"You boys will stay here until this blizzard lets up, Haymitch Abernathy. I insist."

Haymitch raises an eyebrow. It's obvious he's never met a strong-willed woman since… well, since me. But he acquiesces and nods to Peeta, who shrugs and promptly stretches out on the floor. I give my pretend lover a funny look.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to bed," he replies nonchalantly.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Well, where else are you supposed to put us? The table's taken." He gestures at Gale; I notice Prim trying to bite back a laugh. "Besides, I can't exactly sleep in your bed, now, can I?"

I turn away so he can't see me blush. That's not exactly true. We would sleep in bed together on the train during the Victory Tour. It was the only way I could handle the nightmares. Come to think of it, I've missed lying against his warm body every night, his arms around me…. No, focus.

"You and Haymitch could share the couch in the living room. It's plenty big enough," Prim offers. The two men look at each other, and at once I can tell they don't like the idea. I can't help but snicker as I imagine Peeta and Haymitch awkwardly sleeping on the same couch, their backs to each other and lying on the edge so as to be as far apart as possible.

But what I say next amazes everyone, including myself.

"Peeta can share my bed. Haymitch can have the couch."

Now it's my mother's turn to disapprove of an idea. She shoots Peeta a frown and he grimaces nervously under her scrutiny. Nevertheless, he tries to sound sure of himself as he tells her: "I will respect your daughter's body and space, Mrs. Everdeen. On my honor."

"Of course he will. Besides, what does it matter? They slept together every night on the train."

The reaction to my mentor's comment is immediate and vicious.

"Haymitch!" I squeak, mortified.

My mother rounds on both him and Peeta. "Excuse me?" she snarls, and I can tell she's having second thoughts of letting either of them into our home.

Gale, for his part, looks stone-faced. Prim has her face buried into her hands.

"It was just regular sleeping! Nothing, well…." Peeta blushes. "Katniss says her nightmares go away whenever I'm with her."

Gale now looks pained, and I do my best to ignore it against my aching heart. Meanwhile, my mother relaxes.

"Fine. Just… be careful," she advises. She turns to my sister. "Primrose, go to bed."

"But it's only 8:00!" Prim protests. My mother shoots her a _Don't test me_ look, and she reluctantly obeys, though still angry. Peeta finally has the good sense to get up off the floor.

"I'll go talk to her." He heads up the stairs. Everyone else disperses: my mother to clean away the dishes, Haymitch to fluff the pillows on the couch. I busy myself by cleaning up the men's checkers game, and am relieved when I turn back around to find that Gale has fallen asleep on the table. I decide to head upstairs to check on Peeta and Prim….


	2. Chapter 2: Dancing and Night Settling

**Chapter 2: Dancing and Night Settling**

What I find is nothing short of adorable. I peek through the crack in Prim's door to find my sister in bed, Peeta sitting on the edge and telling her a story.

"And then, I crushed the stones into the little pond and mixed it together to make a kind of paste, to cover myself with. It was all I could think of to hide from the Careers. As I lay by that river, all I could think about was your sister…."

I can't help but smile. Not just at the story that shows Peeta's undying love for me, but the way he is kindly interacting with Prim. Little Prim, the one person I'm certain I love. _He's so sweet_ , I think. _He'd make a great father….._ I mentally slap myself. Where had that come from? But I don't have time to consider this before I hear Prim say, "Good night Peeta, and thank you for the nice story." My heart melts when he kisses her on the forehead. I tear my gaze away and lean against the wall, clutching my heart as if I can feel it swell with the happiness inside me. The smile cannot leave my face. Then, I remember Peeta will be coming, and I hustle back downstairs so he doesn't know I eavesdropped. But I can't hide even that from him when he comes down a moment later, as I tell him, "You have a way with kids."

He jumps at my voice and then blushes slightly at my compliment. "Shouldn't you be in bed too?"

"Nope," I shrug, still grinning. "It's too early." I don't care that Haymitch is already passed out on the couch and my mother has gone to her room down the hall. Peeta smiles back.

"Well, in that case…" he picks up a remote from the small table and clicks it. Low music begins to play, and he bows. "May I have this dance, Ms. Everdeen?"

A laugh escapes me, and I curtsey. "Why, of course you may."

He takes me in his arms, and we perform the lively waltz that we danced to in the Capitol. The music is so soothing as it plays:

 _"A dance is like a conversation, except your lips don't ever need to part. / And once you've begun, you speak as one, cheek to cheek, toe to toe, heart to heart…."_

Peeta holds me so gently, and is so graceful as we glide across the floor. Yet, moments of firmness and strength appear instantaneously as he twirls me out, and then back in before sweeping me off my feet and spinning me around in his arms. As the world flashes by us, the one constant is his eyes - those deep blue eyes that I now lose myself into. The song changes:

 _"I know the night is kind, dear. / I know the day will dawn. / The dancers may disappear, / still the dance goes on…."_

I barely register that we have stopped moving as we just gaze into each other's faces, into each other's eyes…..I finally am aware of our position when we stop moving at last and he shifts his arms to grip me better.

"Ow," I winch, as his fingers brush against my injured ankle.

"I'm sorry." He quickly sets me down, allowing me to lean on him for support. "Let's get up to bed."

We must have twirled too much, for I suddenly feel very woozy. I swoon, and feel him prop me back up. When it happens again, he merely picks me up, bridal-style, and carries me up the stairs and into my room. I don't object, not even when he sets me down on the bed and goes so far as to tuck me in. He doesn't kiss me the way he did Prim, though - and I surprise myself when I realize that I _want_ him to. Instead, I merely open the covers invitingly.

"Stay with me." It's more of a prompt than a question at this point. Peeta smiles as he slips in beside me, and that's the last thing I see as he whispers, "Always."

* * *

 **A/N: The first song is "One Step Closer" from the Broadway version of _The Little Mermaid_. The second is "I Dreamed a Dance" from _Next to Normal_. **


	3. Chapter 3: Shielding Loved Ones

**Chapter 3: Shielding Loved Ones**

The next morning, I wake with my head on Peeta's chest, smiling. As I shift, he wakes also and smiles down at me.

"Good morning," I hum.

"Morning," he replies. Then, he yawns in my face. "I'm sorry, morning breath."

I laugh. After we all have breakfast, we notice that the blizzard has stopped completely. Peeta and I decide to head into town; Prim and Haymitch accompany us.

As we reach the main square of the Justice Building, Peeta and I peel off so I can do some overdue trading at the Hob. Haymitch agrees to keep an eye on Prim. I'm just finishing my sale to Rooba the butcher, when I hear a scream. My _sister's_ scream. Peeta and I look at each other before running to the square, where a crowd has already gathered. Peering through, I can see a Peacekeeper holding Prim as she trashes in his arms. Two more restrain Haymitch off to one side.

"This girl was caught trying to steal some cheese!" the Peacekeeper is saying to the crowd, almost all of who know Prim and are angry that she is being targeted.

"That's a load of horse-shit!" Peeta hisses to me. "Prim would never steal anything!" I know this, too, and understand that it is just a front for a bigger reason: this is the Peacekeepers' way of punishing us victors for our intervention with Gale the week before.

"The punishment: the lash!" the Peacekeeper holding Prim declares. He ties her to the same post that once held Gale, and makes for his whip.

"NO!" I cry, but Peeta is quicker than I am. He pushes through the crowd and tackles the Peacekeeper from behind, leaping onto his back like a monkey. The official thrashes as Peeta wraps his arms around the wretch's neck and holds fast.

The crowd is roaring in approval now, closing ranks around the scene and leaving me completely shut out. I can barely see what's going on. The Peacekeeper's knees buckle under Peeta's weight; his face is turning blue. Peeta has a wild look of rage in his eyes, and I know that his arena instincts have taken over.

"That's enough, come on…." and I see Romulus Thread calling as he pushes his way through the crowd. The Peacekeeper is doubled over now, he'll be dead if Peeta keeps this up.

A gunshot suddenly quiets everyone down.

"NOW I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Thread bellows in rage, his pistol aimed high. "WHEN I SAY TO FINISH SOMETHING, I EXPECT YOU RATS TO FINISH IT!" He aims the gun at Peeta, whose back is to him.

"Peeta, look out!" I scream. Peeta whirls around fast, carrying the Peacekeeper with him. BANG! A bullet at point-blank range now kills the Peacekeeper, who was a moment away from death by asphyxiation anyway. I push through the crowd at last. Thread kicks aside his subordinate's body and targets Peeta again. I am just about to throw myself in front of my friend when I hear a commotion. Haymitch has punched one of his Peacekeeper guards, knocking him over… and right into Thread just as he fires. BANG! The tussle throws off Thread's aim and the bullet hits the whipping post a few feet above Prim's head, ricochets, and hits Thread's gun arm. He howls in pain and drops the weapon, which I snatch up and point now at its owner. More scuffling can be heard as several brave men help Haymitch overwhelm his remaining guard.

There is dead silence in the courtyard now. Thread and I stare each other down.

"Release my sister," I snarl. He doesn't move, his jaw merely hardening. "NOW!" I bellow, cocking the gun. Peeta then takes it upon himself to free Prim and scoops my unconscious sister up into his arms. Haymitch, meanwhile, silently picks up the whip of the Peacekeeper Peeta choked. Together, we form a triangular formation around Peeta and Prim and begin to walk backwards through the crowd. Only now does Thread come out of whatever trance he's in and makes to follow us.

"You are not authorized to handle prisoners! Halt! I order you to -"

BANG! CRACK! I fire off a warning shot, followed seconds later by Haymitch snapping the whip. The rope barely misses Thread's feet. The crowd watches us with approving eyes, admiring our courage. Is it just my imagination, or do I see the spark of rebellion in their pupils as well? As soon as we are far enough away, we turn tail and run back to the Victor's Village.

* * *

We burst into my house and Peeta sets Prim on the couch.

"Heather! Get in here! We have a situation!" Haymitch roars. My mother rushes in and gasps in horror.

"Oh, my poor baby! What happened?"

"She's freezing. Hopefully, she won't get hypothermia." Meanwhile, Peeta explains everything that happened.

"It was probably a bullshit excuse to punish us for saving Gale last week," he finishes.

"And you all still stood up to them?" my mother whispers, horrified.

"Hey," Peeta smirks smugly. "Thread's already gotten embarrassed twice by us, and now he has one of his own men's blood on his hands. If his ass isn't fired for murdering a fellow Peacekepper, I'm President Snow."

"I sure won't miss him," Haymitch grumbles. "Sicking your men on an innocent little girl - what has this world come to?"

"You guys don't know that Thread's removal will make anything better," Gale pipes up for the first time from his place on the table. "Suppose he's replaced by someone much worse?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, boy," Haymitch responds, before going over to him and excitedly telling him about the brave acts of rebellion we saw today. My mother lights a fire and then tends to Prim, whose worst injuries are cold skin and a bruised head from when she fainted against the post. I go over to the window and stare out, trying not to cry. Peeta joins me, placing a soothing hand on my shoulder.

"They were going to whip her, Peeta, just like Gale - and she didn't do anything wrong!"

"Ssshh," Peeta soothes me. "The whip didn't touch her. She's safe."

Remembering that he's the reason for my sister's relative safety, I begin to weep and throw myself into his arms. "Oh, Peeta, thank God for you!" I let out a strangled gasp of breath through my tears and dare to kiss his cheek. Hell, I could kiss him on the lips right now for how brave he was in saving my sister. I refrain from this, however.

"Hush now," Peeta smiles, not caring about the dampness my tears left on his face where I kissed him. "You love Prim, and I love you. Therefore, whoever you love, I love."

I give him a watery smile, grateful and finally feeling happy again as we settle down on this winter's day to struggle on and plan our next move.


End file.
